130,000 People Celebrate Pride in Taiwan After 200 Virus-Free Days

Even in the midst of a global pandemic, 130,000 people came together in Taiwan to celebrate a much needed Pride. The country has been one of the most successful at eradicating the pandemic, going over 200 days without any new cases, which allowed for this celebration to take place.

It really is a beautiful thing seeing so many proud LGBTQ+ people and allies being able to celebrate together in a year with very little to celebrate and even fewer chances to gather together.

President Tsai Ing-Wen took to social media on Saturday to urge the entire nation to embrace "love, tolerance, and a better Taiwan," German international news broadcaster DW reports.

Taiwan has long been considered a leader when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights in Asia. Over 4,000 same sex couples have gotten married in the country since they legalized same-sex marriage in May 2019, and this year's Pride celebration is actually smaller than last year's.

The celebration comes one day after Taiwan's military held its first ever same-sex weddings as two female soldiers married their civilian partners in a mass outdoor wedding of nearly 200 couples "This is another big step forward for the military," Lieutenant Chen Ying-hsuan, 27, told DW. "I hope more same-sex couples can bravely stand out. The military is open and we are all equal in front of love."

It's been a difficult year for LGBTQ+ people around the world with a global pandemic, chaos in the United States, and homophobic and transphobic violence and oppression on the rise, but these proud Taiwanese gays, lesbians, queers, and trans people wouldn't let that stop them from celebrating who they are and the rights they've won.